Method for making a cardboard box



Dec. 10, 1963 O. W. FOSS METHOD FOR MAKING A CARDBOARD BOX Original Filed Feb. 21, 1958 n m lF E 24 J24 I i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n 42 g H 42 INVENTOR. ORLANDO W. FOSS ATTORNEYS Dec. 10, 1963 O. W. FOSS METHOD FOR MAKING A CARDBOARD BOX Original Filed Feb. 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ORLANDO W. FOSS ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofi ice 3,ll3,492 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 METHOD FOR MAKING A CARDBQARD BQX (h'lando W. Foss, Meh'ose, Mesa, assignor to General Box Company, Waycross, Ga., a corporation of Florida Uriginal application Feb. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 716,604, now

Patent No. 3,004,695, dated Oct. 17, 1961. Divided and this application Sept. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 137,615

2 Claims. (Cl. 93-66) The present invention relates generally to a method of making cardboard boxes, and more particularly to an improved laminated box construction incorporating integral side and bottom plies. This application is a division of my application Serial No. 716,604, filed February 21, 1958, now Patent No. 3,004,695.

An object of this invention is to provide a sturdy box constructed from cardboard stock laminated to provide stiffness and strength.

Another object is to provide a novel box construction adapted for manufacture in the form of fiat blanks from continuous rolls or webs of cardboard stock, the blanks being arranged for setting up and assembly to form the completed box.

A further object is to provide a box construction of relatively simple form whereby the labor of setting up the blanks is reduced to a minimum.

A still further object is to provide a box having a neat appearance along the fold lines and at the corners, having the desired strength, tightness and rigidity, and having accurate dimensions whereby the bottom and side panels fit precisely and tightly at the corners of the box.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the features of the invention reside in a two-piece construction in which the bottom and the sides of the box are constructed of laminated plies of cardboard or other suitable material, and each ply of the bottom panel also forms a ply of one or more of the side panels. Thus a tight box is insured due to the continuity of a ply at each of the bottom edges of the box from the bottom to each of the intersecting side panels.

According to another feature, the box is constructed from blanks of a simple form which are readily adapted to be turned out by a continuous web-fed laminating and cutting machine. The box is formed of a pair of such blanks having mutually engaging tenons and mortises. The dimensions of these tenons and mortises are held to close tolerances since they are determined by an integral cutting knife which cuts the web with precision irrespective of the speed of the web or other variable factors.

Other features of the invention reside in certain details of construction and arrangements of the parts which will become clear from a reading of the following specification, having reference to the appended drawings illustrating the preferred form of box and apparatus for making the same.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blanking machine adapted to produce the component parts of a box according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a plan view of one form of blank forming a part of the box; FIG. 4 is an oblique exploded view illustrating the two component parts of the box and the manner of setting up and assembling the same; FIG. 5 is an oblique view of an assembled box; and FIGS. 6 and 7 are elevations in section taken on lines 6-6 and 77, respectively, of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a blanking machine generally indicated at 12 is shown as adapted to turn out blanks of the form illustrated at 14. The blank is formed of cardboard stock fed from seven feed rolls, the webs being suitably glued and laminated. Ordinarily, the feed rolls each carry the identical cardboard stock which may be a single ply of relatively flexible cardboard coated with a relatively thin finish paper.

The feed rolls include a full width roll 16 having a Web 18 preferably of the same Width as one dimension of the bottom plus twice the height of a side. In addition, there are six side rolls 2% having webs 22 arranged three each in vertical alignment, the outer edges of these webs preferably being aligned vertically with the edges of the Web 18.

As illustrated in PEG. 2, the webs 22 are fed from the rolls 20 over gluing rolls 24 of conventional form, reaching the bite of laminating rolls 26 where they are laminated with the web 18. Then, the laminated web designated as 28 passes to a cutoff roll 39 which cooperates with an anvil roll 32. The cut-off roll severs the web 28 into a succession of blanks 14. The blanks each comprise a bottom ply 34 formed from the web 18 with three plies 36 laminated to and aligned with each of the side edges of the ply 34. The plies 36 define side panels 37 of the box.

The cut-off roll 3% is provided with a knife 33 arranged transversely of the web and having a number of cutting and slitting edges arranged in the pattern illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus there are formed, in each side panel of the blank, tenons 40 and adjacent mortises 42. It will be observed that the outer edges of the tenons 4d are in alignment with the edges 44 forming the ends of the blank.

The exposed portion of the ply 34, when assembled in the completed box as illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7, becomes the outer ply of the bottom panel. The upper faces of the side panels 37 become the inner faces of two opposing side walls of the box. In some applications, for instance in the manufacture of cigar boxes, it is desired that these inner faces present a pleasing appearance and accordingly, the uppermost of the three rolls 20 on each side of the machine 12 may be provided with a suitable cardboard covered with a lining paper or other suitable facing material.

In FIG. 3 there is illustrated a second form of panel designated generally at 48, having side panels 50. This blank and the blank 14 are fitted together to form the completed box as hereinafter more fully described. The blank 48 is formed and cut out by the machine 12 in a manner substantially identical to the construction of the blank 14, except for the dimensions and the pattern of the cut-off knife. To this end a simple conversion of the machine 12 is made. The lowermost ply 52 corresponding to the ply 34 has substantially the same dimensions as the exposed portion of the latter except that the length and width thereof are reversed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the webs. Also, the side panels 50 are each cut off in the form of tenons 54 to fit the mortises 42 and mortises 56 to fit the tenons 4%) of the blank 14. It will be understood that the mortises and tenons may be of any desired interlocking shape.

The exposed portion of the ply 52, when assembled in the completed box as illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7, becomes the inner ply and face of the bottom of the box, and the upper faces of the side panels 50 become the inner faces of two opposing end walls of the box. If it is desired that the inner surface of the box present a pleasing appearance, the uppermost of the three narrow rolls on each side of the machine 12 and the full-width roll providing the ply 52 are provided with a suitable facing material.

To convert the machine 12 for turning out the blank 48, it is necessary to substitute a different cut-off knife or knives in place of the knife 38, to change the longitudinal spacing between cut-elf positions, and to change the width and spacing of the supply rolls. Thus the roll 16 is replaced by a roll having the full Width of the simple adjustments or substitutions of parts which are.

familiar to one skilled in the operation of web-fed box making machinery.

To assemble a box, a blank 14 and a blank 48 are required. To set up each blank, the side panels 37 and 50 are erected at right angles to the central, unlaminated portions of the blanks as illustrated in FIG. 4. The panel 14 is set up with the ply 34 facing to the outside on the panels 37, while the blank 48 is set up with the ply 52 facing to the inside on the side panels 50. The two blanks are then assembled together, joining the fitted mortises and tenons at the corners. A piece of tape 58, coated with glue or other suitable adhesive, is applied over each corner, this tape being of sufiicient area to cover the joint formed by the mortises and tenons.

FIGS. 6 and 7 indicate the resulting cross sections of two intersecting bottom edges of the box. As shown in FIG. 6, the ply 52 of the blank 48 is continuous with the end walls 50 of the box, and thereby insures a tight dustproof joint between the bottom and these Walls. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the ply 34 of the blank 14 is similarly continuous with the side walls 37. The joints at the corners are precisely and tightly fitted and joined, and therefore the box is substantially dust-tight. If even greater tightness or rigidity of construction is desired, glue lines or areas between the bottom plies 34 and 52 may be applied prior to assembly of the panels.

It will be observed that the final dimensions of the box are regular and unbroken at the edges and corners. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, the ply 34 extends to the outermost edge of the blank 48 with the latter set up as illustrated in these figures. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the side panels 50 are slightly higher than the panels 37, thus providing a recess in which to fit the hinged top of the box, not shown.

In the foregoing description, the rolls 20 are described as having edges in vertical alignment with the edges of the roll 16. While this is the preferred arrangement, the appearance of the lips of the box is dependent on the accuracy of this alignment. To insure a neat appearance, side trimmers for the blanks 14 and 48 may be incorporated on the cut-off roll 30 in the usual way.

While the same cardboard stock is preferably used on all rolls in turning out the blanks 14 and 48, as previously indicated, it is obviously possible to substitute other materials for some of the plies. The ply produced by the middle roll 18 on each side is covered in the ultimate construction and may be of a stiffer material to impart greater rigidity to the sides of the box. In other applications it may be a corrugated cardboard, insulating sheet material, or a vapor barrier such as a metallic foil. In assembly, a sheet of the same material as this ply and coextensive with the bottom of the box may be inserted between the plies 34 and 52 forming the bottom panel.

The finished box may be covered with a suitable decorative outer paper covering in the usual manner. As previously indicated the interior of the box ordinarily requires no additional lining since the facing portions of the blanks 14 and 48 are formed of suitably covered cardboard stock.

From the foregoing description, it will be recognized that the box construction is characterized by the production of blanks such as 14 and 48 which are formed by a web-fed blanking machine and then rapidly set up, as sembled and joined to produce the structure illustrated in FIG. 5. The resulting box is strong and stiff, the interior surfaces are smooth and the folded and joined edges and corners precise in dimension and tight in fit. A minimum of labor is required to set up the blanks 14 and 48 in the form of assembled boxes.

It will be further understood that, while the invention has been described with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, various modifications and adaptations of the construction may be employed in accordance with skills known to those familiar with this art, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A method of making boxes which includes the steps of forming a first blank by feeding a first web, feeding second and third webs and laminating them to the first Web in spaced relation to form a composite web with a bottom-defining portion and two laminated side-defining portions, severing the composite web transversely to form said first blank and to form a mortise in a severed edge of a side-defining portion thereof contiguous with the bottom-defining portion, repeating the foregoing steps to form a second blank with a bottom-defining portion and two laminated side-defining portions wherein the width of the bottom-defining portion between the sidedefining portions substantially equals the length between severed edges of the first blank, the second blank being severed to form a tenon projecting from a side-defining portion thereof contiguous with and extending from a severed edge of the bottom-defining portion thereof, erecting the side-defining portions of the blanks in relation to their bottom-defining portions, superimposing the two blanks so as to cause their bottom-defining portions to be in overlying relationship with their side-defining portions engaging in end-to-end relationship to form corners, and fastening the engaged side-defining portions at said corners with the mortise and tenon fitted together so as to form a square corner.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the blanks are both severed at spaced intervals suchthat the width of the bottom-defining portion between the sidedeiining portions of each blank substantially equals the length between severed edges of the other blank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,922,506 Stokes Aug. 15, 1933 2,036,975 Wilkins et al. Apr. 7, 1936 2,898,822 Moore Aug. 11, 1959 

1. A METHOD OF MAKING BOXES WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF FORMING A FIRST BLANK BY FEEDING A FIRST WEB, FEEDING SECOND AND THIRD WEBS AND LAMINATING THEM TO THE FIRST WEB IN SPACED RELATION TO FORM A COMPOSITE WEB WITH A BOTTOM-DEFINING PORTION AND TWO LAMINATED SIDE-DEFINING PORTIONS, SEVERING THE COMPOSITE WEB TRANSVERSELY TO FORM SAID FIRST BLANK AND TO FORM A MORTISE IN A SEVERED EDGE OF A SIDE-DEFINING PORTION THEREOF CONTIGUOUS WITH THE BOTTOM-DEFINING PORTION, REPEATING THE FOREGOING STEPS TO FORM A SECOND BLANK WITH A BOTTOM-DEFINING PORTION AND TWO LAMINATED SIDE-DEFINING PORTIONS WHEREIN THE WIDTH OF THE BOTTOM-DEFINING PORTION BETWEEN THE SIDEDEFINING PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALS THE LENGTH BETWEEN 